Lovely story that bounces between a historical setting and the present day, in which an old woman recalls the love of her life. Separated as children, when Ichimei is sent with his family to the Japanese internment camps of WW2 America, they meet up again as adults. The relationship doesn't last, and they both go on to happy marriages with other people, but as they get older they find each other again and the ending is very sweet. Allende's prose is always a pleasure to read, light and easy, and while I don't generally read a lot of romance it's refreshing to see one that focuses on the elderly. I think it's fair to say this isn't as complex or as intellectual as some of her other books, but I don't see why an author can't branch out into different types of stories if she wants to, and this was such a warm sort of comfort read that I happily enjoyed it for what it was.